21. A Growing Distance

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As the night settled in, the tension in the air was thick enough to cut through. Freen sat across from Becky, her gaze soft but filled with uncertainty. She had just confessed her feelings, and the vulnerability of her words hung in the air between them.

Becky smiled, though her heart was heavy. "I love you too," she had said, the lie tasting bitter on her tongue. Inside, a storm was brewing, one fueled by the doubts and suspicions that had begun to consume her ever since the video.

Freen, on the other hand, was filled with a strange mix of hope and nervousness. She leaned in, wanting to close the gap between them with a kiss, her lips brushing Becky's cheek gently. But Becky pulled away, standing up abruptly.

“I... I’m on my period,” Becky stammered, avoiding eye contact as she clutched her stomach. “I need to go take a shower.” She fled to the bedroom, her heart racing, her thoughts a tangled mess.

Freen sat there, her hand falling back to her side, her fingers twitching in the empty space where Becky had been. She smiled weakly to herself, brushing off the rejection. "She’s just shy," Freen whispered, trying to convince herself. But deep down, a sinking feeling was beginning to creep in.

---

In the bathroom, Becky splashed water on her face, trying to calm her racing heart. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions—love, guilt, suspicion. She looked at herself in the mirror, her reflection showing a woman torn between what she wanted to believe and what she feared was the truth.

I love her, Becky thought, gripping the sink tightly. But I don’t trust her. How could I after that video?

She took a quick shower, her movements rushed as if she could wash away the confusion and doubt. But when she emerged, nothing had changed. She was still caught in the web of emotions that had ensnared her.

---

Freen was lying on the bed when Becky returned, her face turned toward the ceiling, deep in thought. Becky hesitated at the door, guilt gnawing at her insides. She couldn’t face Freen, not now. Not when she was playing a dangerous game of deceit herself.

Becky slipped into bed, her back turned to Freen, the silence between them more suffocating than ever. Freen shifted, her heart aching at the distance she could feel but not understand. Tentatively, she wrapped an arm around Becky’s waist, pulling her close.

Becky stiffened at the touch but didn’t pull away. She let Freen hold her, the warmth of her body against her back making it harder to stay detached. Her mind was screaming at her to resist, to remember the doubts, the suspicions. But her heart… her heart wanted to melt into Freen’s embrace, to let the love she felt drown out the fear.

Tears pricked at Becky’s eyes as she lay there, torn between her feelings and her need for answers. She couldn’t let her emotions cloud her judgment. Not now. Not when so much was at stake.

---

The next morning, Becky woke early, slipping out of Freen’s arms carefully. She couldn’t let Freen see her turmoil, couldn’t let her know that the suspicion was still festering inside her. She dressed quickly, her mind already on the task ahead.

At the police station, Becky’s first order of business was to investigate the mysterious number that had sent her the video. She sat at her desk, her fingers flying over the keyboard as she traced the phone number through every database she had access to. But, as before, the trail went cold.

Whoever had sent the video had gone to great lengths to hide their identity. Frustration simmered beneath the surface as Becky clenched her fists. Who are you, and why are you doing this?

Despite the dead end, Becky wasn’t ready to give up. She would keep digging, keep looking for clues. But for now, she had another priority—keeping a close eye on Freen.

Over the next few days, Becky observed everything Freen did. She watched her body language, listened carefully to her words, looking for any sign of deception. But Freen seemed… normal. Loving, even. She laughed, she teased, she held Becky like nothing was wrong. And yet, Becky couldn’t shake the feeling that something was deeply wrong.

While Becky was at the police station, Freen made her way to a familiar spot, a dark room hidden in the outskirts of the city. This place, known only to a few, had become her sanctuary—an escape from the life she lived on the surface. And here, waiting for her, was Nam.

Nam sat at a small table, her face illuminated only by the dim glow of a single light. Her expression was serious, her usual carefree demeanor replaced by something darker.

“I’ve got something for you,” Nam said, sliding a thin file across the table toward Freen.

Freen took the file, her fingers trembling slightly as she opened it. Inside, there was almost nothing. No name, no photo. Just a brief description.

“It’s a girl,” Nam said quietly. “She was at the party the night Sarah died. We don’t know who she is yet, but... she’s connected. We need to find her.”

Freen’s heart skipped a beat. A girl at the party? Why hadn’t this come up before? Her mind raced as she thought back to that night, the fragments of memories she had long buried rushing to the surface.

“And that’s all you’ve got?” Freen asked, her voice tight.

Nam nodded, her expression grim. “That’s all we know. But if she was there that night… she could have seen something. Or worse—she could be involved.”

Freen’s stomach churned. She thought she had left Sarah’s death behind, that she had found a way to move forward. But now it was all crashing back down on her, pulling her into a past she had tried so hard to escape.

“We need to find her,” Freen said firmly, her resolve hardening. “Before anyone else does.”

...........

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